Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Ian Hutchesson <mc2499 AT mclink.it>]

Dear Jonathan,

I can't quite see why you posted this -- though it is of interest:

>I would like to point out in this context that the Jewish inhabitants of
>Elephantine at the end of the 5th century had no problem asking the
>Jerusalemite priests for help in rebuilding their temple after it had
>been destroyed in a local pogrom, and this over 200 years after Josiah's
>centralization of the cult, and in spite of the fact that the
>Elephantine Jews also worshipped, in addition to YHWH, Anath-Bethel and
>Ashima-Bethel. (we don't know if they got an answer/)

Probably nothing useful. The writer also wrote to Samaria and got a response!

>Also, wasn't it Onias IV, who, after losing out in a power struggle,
>built a temple to YHWH somewhere in Egypt.

Yes, it would seem at On (Heliopolis). The temple was interestingly called
the "Onion" by Josephus. Was that after Onias IV or the location?

Is19:18-19 is quite interesting in this context, and altar in the centre of
Egypt and a pillar on the border!

>This would seem to indicate either that the Deuteronomistic Reform, not
>to speak of monotheism, either was still unknown or non-normative for
>many Jews, or that it hadn't been invented yet. And this you hear from a
>conservative scholar.

I'm impressed. <g> The position seems the logical one to me.


Ian